The Hofstra Pride softball team’s season came to a disappointing end on Wednesday, May 12, as they suffered two consecutive losses on day one of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship in Harrisonburg, VA. They were first defeated by the No. 4 seeded University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens in a 1-0 game, and they were later bested by No. 3 Elon University by a score of 11-3.
A defensive battle with the Blue Hens resulted in neither team tallying more than two hits in the game. The first hit from either side came in the bottom of the third inning when Delaware’s Chayanna Gallardo singled, but she was sent back to the dugout after three consecutive outs.
Hofstra pitcher Madison Burns gave up no earned runs while pitching six full innings, and she struck out three Delaware batters. The only run surrendered by the Pride came in the bottom of the fourth, as a throwing error allowed Brittney Mendoza to reach home after a fielder’s choice advanced her to second.
Down 1-0, the No. 5-seeded Pride had a chance to turn things around in the top of the seventh, after Angelina Ioppolo was hit by a pitch and a fielding error on Devyn Losco’s at-bat sent Ioppolo to second base. Kayla Wilson was called out at third as the pinch runner, but the Pride advanced Losco to second with Madison McKevitt on first. With two outs and runners on first and second, Alexis Goeke swung for the fences but struck out to end the game.
After being moved to the losers’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament, the Pride next matched up with Elon, who were defeated earlier in the day by Drexel University.
The Pride struck first, placing Chelsea Manto on second base in just the second at-bat of the matchup due to a throwing error after a single. After Jaycee Ruberti walked to first, Meghan Giordano singled and another throwing error sent the Pride around the bases. Giordano reached second while Manto and Ruberti both came home, giving the Pride an early 2-0 lead.
Hofstra held their lead until the bottom of the third inning. A double from Mekayla Frazier batted-in Megan Grant, and Frazier eventually reached home herself off of a fielding error at first base. After a single from Gabi Schaal gave the Phoenix runners on first and second with just one out, Annabella Pisapia took the mound for the Pride in place of Nikki Mullin.
Pisapia struck out the next Elon batter, but then gave up a single that allowed Ally Repko to reach home. Carley Davis was caught attempting to steal second, but before she was called out Schaal was able to extend Elon’s lead to 4-2.
Just one inning later, the Phoenix poured in three more runs, started off by Frazier reaching home on a wild pitch. With runners on second and third, Rebecca Murray sent a line drive up the middle to tally two RBIs and give Elon a 7-2 lead.
Strong defense from Elon made life difficult for the Pride, but they were able to post one run to shrink the deficit in the top of the fifth. After Manto singled and then stole second base to advance Brianna Morse to third, Kasey Collins was sent out to pinch run for Morse. A Ruberti flyout became a double play when Manto was called out at third, but Collins managed to reach home in time for the Pride’s third and final run of the game.
After the Pride returned the favor with a double play of their own in the bottom of the fifth to keep the Phoenix at bay, the sixth inning looked promising early. Giordano followed up a single by reaching second on a throwing error, but Ioppolo was caught out in centerfield in the next at-bat. A single from Losco put Giordano in scoring position, but a line drive from McKevitt was caught at third base and quickly sent to first for a momentum-stopping double play to end the inning.
Elon had another offensive outpour in the bottom of the sixth, placing runners on second and third with just one out, thanks to Grant’s double and Frazier’s walk. Repko tallied her second and third RBIs with a single that sent both Grant and Frazier home. After Schaal was caught out, Claudia Penny stepped up to the plate, and with Repko on first, Penny smashed the game’s only home run, creating an eight-run margin which signaled the end of the Pride’s season.
The No. 1-seeded James Madison University won all of their matches in the tournament, winning the championship game against Delaware on Friday, May 14.
The Pride’s season marked the end of the collegiate career of Kristin Hallam, the team’s star in the infield. The former CAA Defensive Player of the Year finished fourth in Pride history and eighth in CAA history in all-time batting average with .356, and her 151 runs also placed her fourth all-time for Hofstra. Her 83 stolen bases stand alone as the most by any member of the Pride.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
